The Joys of Owning a Dog

For those who have never owned a dog often there is almost a mystery surrounding why people love their pooch so much. The degree of affection and way that dog owners talk about their pet as if it’s their child confounds those who have never had such an experience. Yet, the joy from owning a dog is actually not a great unsolvable riddle.

To begin, owning a dog is in fact good training for parenthood as the dog is reliant on you for food, companionship, shelter, exercise, affection, care, maintenance of their health, and all sorts of other manner of needs. With a dog you have an opportunity to teach them various tasks and how to tackle such challenges as getting up and down stairs. You also get to see a dog grow and change over the years as its personality becomes more prominent and defined. Much of the aforementioned does have parallels with what you may experience caring and raising a child, and is an effective way to learn about the responsibility of caring for others.

Dogs are also incredibly loyal animals as they will almost always gravitate to their owners over any others they come in contact with. A dog comes to think of you as a member of its pack, and when it begins to growl or bark at another person or animal, much of that behaviour is about protecting you. A dog can sense through scent when you’re sick and will often refuse to leave your side until being reassured that you’re on the mend.

One attribute that a dog possesses in abundance is empathy. Dogs are incredibly empathic animals and can easily sense when you’re feeling sad or depressed. Often they’ll curl up beside you to try and make you feel better, and will try to interest in you in some form of play to try and cheer you up. Additionally, it’s quite common for them to start acting in a goofy fashion to attempt to elicit a verbal response and shake you out of your depression.

Perhaps the greatest joy from having a dog is that they are always happy to see you. No matter what, each day when you come home, your dog will express a huge greeting, wagging its tail and yelping in some fashion, to let you know how much happiness is being felt. It is extremely gratifying to receive that sort of greeting when coming home after a hard day at the office.

While walking a dog each day can seem a chore at times, it also forces you to get outdoors and get exercise that you might not otherwise do. While out on a walk with your dog, you’ll be given the opportunity to socialize with other dog owners you come in contact with, and commensurate with them about your experiences with your dog. Thus, a dog can be an excellent way to make new friends.

Yet, owning a dog is not all fun and games. Your dog needs companionship and affection. Leaving a dog alone for too long may cause it to act out. This can sometimes take the form of being destructive or howling and crying. So if you work during the day it is essential you find someone who can look after your dog so that your pooch will not be out of sorts. In almost every city you’ll find dog walking services and doggie daycares that can ensure your pooch will be happy.

To ensure your dog will live a long and happy life, it’s essential to take your pet for regular visits at the veterinarian and give your dog the proper prescribed diet. Your veterinarian will be able to tell you if the breed of your dog has any common medical problems and what the signs are to watch for. The earlier you detect them, the better the chances that it will be possible to prescribe the proper medicine to treat the malady. Giving a dog its medicine can be challenging at times, but you’ll often find online resources that can provide tips for how to get them to take it. However, even these challenges are useful especially if you and your partner are thinking of having children. The experience will help to educate you about how truly challenging it can be to give medicine to someone who doesn’t want to take it and some ideas of how to go about doing so.

Lastly, for a couple considering the idea of having a family getting a dog can be a good first step for getting used to the idea. The experience will show both of you how necessary it is to take time from your schedules to look after the dog and what’s involved with dividing the various responsibilities. You’ll also get a sense of what sort of parenting styles each person might have and what the best ways are for making joint decisions on someone dependent on you.

So consider the joys and possibilities of owning a dog as it can be very rewarding.